


Misdirected

by BrownSugarC



Category: NCIS: New Orleans
Genre: F/M, ncis new
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2020-03-29 10:44:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 12,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19018300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrownSugarC/pseuds/BrownSugarC
Summary: A year and half has passed by since Sonja Percy left New Orleans.  An interaction between Tammy Gregorio and Percy changes a story line that we long thought dead.





	1. Chapter 1

It only took Sonja Percy a few days back in Country to realize that she was in trouble.  She had put off so much in her psych eval.  In fact she had pushed Christopher LaSalle totally out of her mind for about a quick minute.  LaSalle was the third of the failures of men in her life not including Jake Roman from two years ago.

She brainstormed and remembered that NCIS had a new head shrink who arrived just before she left that agency.  She gave the office a call and found out that the counselor’s name was a Jacqueline Sloane.  “Hello Agent Sloane?  My name is Sonja.  I work for the FBI.  I was wondering if I could stop by your office to speak with you.

“Certainly Sonja.  How soon would you be available?” 

“Any time after tomorrow” Percy replied.

Percy hardly slept Wednesday night.  She had no idea where to begin to rationally explain to a person she never met the depth of her confusion.  She knew that she needed someone.  The someone that she could not find a year ago when she finally saw her life going off the rails.  Two long flights on an airplane with nowhere to escape to allow her to think, focus, think and focus.  She had taken a step and finally wrote Christopher LaSalle.  She was realizing that she probably had told him more than she should but what was done was done.  Now three weeks later she literally ran to her mail box.  Seeing nothing there she went upstairs and turned on her computer where she could access both her personal and government e-mail accounts.  Nothing.  Nothing she repeated to herself again.  She picked up her government cell phone that she had retrieved from her safe when she stored her weapon.  Nothing there either.

The pain became more apparent.  Nothing from him?  She was devastated.

While she had to enter NCIS through the main, secured entrance, she knew that there were back elevators up to the third level where Agent Sloane’s office was located.

She quickly entered the outer door and sat down as directed.  Agent Sloane appeared precisely at 10 a.m. as scheduled.  “Agent Percy” she asked as she extended her hand?  I’m Agent Sloane but please just call me ‘Jack’.  Won’t you come in?”

An hour later it was clear that Percy had spoken as much as she would be able to do that day.

“Well, Agent Percy I will be honest.  I usually limit my caseload to NCIS employees but I think that since you were previously a department employee and the fact that you were injured while associated with us, that I can justify seeing you.  EAP does require me to contact your supervisor.  Seeing the shocked looked on Percy’s face ‘Jack’ quickly adds, but I will note that your referral is being monitored by the ‘Director’ leaving everything in house at NCIS.

“Are there better days or times that we could visit?”

“Well most days when I am in Country and evenings.  However I would rather not come here.  I’m concerned that someone might recognize me.” 

“Well how about Walter Reed” ‘Jack’ replied.  I could reserve some time there and the train ride or drive out there might provide you some minutes to relax.  Let’s start with 2 two hour sessions for a couple of weeks.

It was apparent that Sonja Percy had had a challenging life.  She near death and the death of her dearest friend, her parents’ divorce and the horrible men in her teenage years might have defeated anyone else but she overcame much of the sorrow.  She excelled in her government training and was an excellent marksman.  She was not only physically quick on her feet but always seemed to be two steps ahead of her foes.  Her first assignment included a partner name Jake.  She knew he always wanted to make their interaction personal, but she knew better plus she wasn’t about to get tied down.

Her next assignment was undercover.  How the hours could worse was beyond her understanding.  She was lonely and it allowed her to let her guard down.  She became physically involved with a guy on the outskirts of the mission.  She really did like Ramon and he took good care of her.  It would only be years later she revealed to ‘Jack’ that he was deep in the shit of that mission.  He was ready to kill her too but was stopped by one of her team mates.  That was one of the worse reveals in her short life.  He had been responsible for the deaths of several innocent people.

It seemed that the tears never stopped flowing.  No longer a lone wolf as she described herself, she found herself growing attached to her new team mates particularly the woman.  She had never worked with women that close in the business and she found Brody to be a great confident and very kick ass agent.  Merrie Brody was replaced by another woman who became more like a sister than a team mate.  There was nothing she wouldn’t do for Tammy.  And it was here she explained that she met ‘Country Mouse’.   We were partners and often butting heads but to be honest, she said, she never trusted anyone like she did him.  The longer they were together the more fluid it became between the two of them.  She learned his every move.  He only needed to move his eyes or tilt is head and she knew exactly which way to go.  They often mirrored talked when in conversation.  “It was downright spooky” she said.

“But tell me about him” ‘Jack’ said. 

“I don’t where to start.  He had this swagger about him.  He saved my life on our very first mission together.”

“He had a difficult time in the business as well and his personal life was an absolute disaster.  At first he wanted to pursue a relationship then six months later I did.  I wanted to die when he pushed me away.  Then I got really angry at his rejection.  I finally reached the point where I couldn’t take it anymore and looked for a way out.  I met a FBI supervisor and he was so impressed with an assignment that I did with him that he recommended me for job at the agency.

It wasn’t even a month before I realized that I probably shouldn’t have left that quick.  I should have worked harder on Country Mouse to see if we could have put something together.

“I was scared enough on my first mission.  I began to second guess my choice in the job and sat down and wrote several ‘I love/miss you/apology letters.  One was to Country Mouse.  I was hoping that we could talk when I got back in country.  He never replied.  It tore me up for a week and that is when I realized that I was in trouble and called you.

Sonja only needed to come back for one extra session after the initial set.  She could tell she was feeling better.  She was back to singing nearly everywhere and found herself enjoying the fresh air and the birds singing in the morning.


	2. D. C. Bound

“Agent Percy” Sonja says sounding like a recording as she answered the phone on her desk.

“Percy this is Tammy Gregorio.  How are you?” 

“Oh my goodness.  It’s good to hear your voice.  It’s been way too long.  What’s up?  Please don’t let this be more bad news.”

“No it’s not.  I have to fly out to D. C. next week to testify in an old FBI case.  I was hoping to see you while I’m there.”

“Tammy that would be great.” 

“Too bad you can’t be here for the weekend. The “Skins” are playing the Giants Sunday.” 

“Hey do you think there is any way that you could get tickets?  I could catch a late night flight to D.C. Friday.”

“Girl that sounds great let me get on it right now and I’ll text you.  Do you still have the same number?”

“Yes.” 

“Okay I look forward to seeing you Tammy.”

_A week later_

To be honest it took Tammy Gregorio longer to bring up Chris LaSalle than Sonja would have guessed.  She waited until Sonja had had a few drinks Saturday night to give her an update on the old team.  So how often do you talk to LaSalle?  He never spills the beans on his lady friends. 

“I haven’t spoken with him Tammy.  I’m sure he could give a damn about me.  Why don’t you just tell me about his latest ‘sweet thing’?”

“There are no women Percy.  At least none that I have seen.  He comes in every day and puts his head down.  He and King are still close.  I see him a couple times a week at the bar but Pride’s brother mentioned to me he thought that he and Pride had had a falling out because he’s not in there that often.  I see him down at the police gym sparing or running laps.  I know that he and Triple P are out and about but I don’t see him on the phone with the ladies like I did in the past.”

“So didn’t you ever call him?

“Hell no” Percy responds but her ‘tell’ told on her once again. 

“Look Percy, I have known you long enough to see from your face that you are not telling all.” 

“Well I wrote him while I was on my first mission.  I sent a letter to the place out on the water and never heard back from him.”

“And?  Well what was in the letter?” 

“Oh I don’t remember the details I just asked him to contact me but he never did.” 

“You’re sure you reached out to him Percy?  I can’t believe he wouldn’t have said something to me because I pestered him at the Christmas dinner about you contacting us and wondering what you were doing that Christmas.

No Tammy.  Nothing

The ladies came in early so they would be awake and sober enough to enjoy Sunday’s football game.  The game went into overtime and it was well past seven by the time they got back to the condo.

Sonja forced herself to go downstairs and lift.  She dropped one of the weights and she thought her head was going to explode as it took a couple of bounces.  I’m getting too old for this shit she thought.

Monday passed by fast.  She came into her condo to some really great smells.  Tammy had cooked dinner for the two of them.  They laughed and talked through the meal which should have made Sonja happy but she realized how much she really did miss her former roommate.

Tammy texted her just after 11 on Tuesday to tell her that the judge had released her and that she had scheduled a flight out that evening.  They took the train out to the airport together with her planning on taking a taxi back to the condo.  She hugged Tammy tightly and told her to stay safe.


	3. Full Disclosure

“So Tammy how did the trip go” LaSalle inquires?

“Well the defense counsel was brutal to me.  Thank goodness I took good case notes.  The jury was still in deliberation when I left D.C. yesterday.

Hey Percy and I went out Saturday night to some new club she wanted to try out.  She got to griping about her single life again then admitted that she had only been to two clubs since she was there.  Some guy tried to hit on her but she ignored him all night.”

Tammy’s was still talking and realizing that five minutes later LaSalle hasn’t still asked any detailed questions about Percy.

“So you’re not going to ask?”

“Not going to ask what?”

“About your old partner” Tammy retorts.

“What about her Tammy.  She left New Orleans and left us in the rear view mirror.” 

“What? LaSalle” asks as she stares holes in him.

“That’s not true and you know it Christopher.  Percy told me that she wrote you and never heard anything from you. I could tell by the tone in her voice that it hurt her.”

“No she didn’t.  I never heard anything from Percy.  No letter and no phone calls.”

“Are you sure?  She said that she wrote you about six months after she left when she was on her first deployment.”

“Well there only seems one way to settle this.

“What’s that Chris asks?”

“Call her.”

“You or me LaSalle?  Actually I think it should be you.  Here.  I’ll text you her contact information.”

“I don’t need a witness Tammy.  Why don’t you go get us some coffee?”

“Hey Percy this is Chris LaSalle.  Can you talk for a minute?”

“Well, you called me at my desk.  Let me go out in the stairwell and call you back.”

_A minute later_

“Hello Chris.  I can talk now.”

“How are you Percy?”

“Just fine.  A little busy and surprised to hear from you.”

“I’m not sure how to say this Percy.   Tammy and I were talking about her time with you in D.C. and she mentioned that you were surprised that I hadn’t gotten in touch with you.  She also inferred that you had contacted me after you left, but I didn’t see anything from you.”

“Yeah Chris I did.  I wrote you on my first assignment.  It was sent from overseas.  I wrote it one night when there was a windstorm outside of the hotel.  I sent it to your house addressed to Karin Johnson, c/o of Chris LaSalle.  I didn’t want to use my own name on the outside of the envelope.  I knew that you would recognize that name as one of my snitches.  So you’re saying that you didn’t get it?”

“No when was that?

“I’m pretty sure it was in April.”

“So what did it say?” 

“I don’t know.  I don’t remember all the details” 

They talk for a few more minute. 

“Well Percy I know you’re at work.   Do you mind if I call you at home tonight?” 

“No.  I would like to speak with you a little more too.”

“So what did she say” Tammy asked as soon as LaSalle disconnected his call?

“She said that she mailed it from her overseas assignment to Karin Johnson in care of my address but I could tell that it was the wrong zip code.  Some addresses are duplicated in both Orleans and Jefferson Parrish.   I see that look.  Karin Johnson was a source she used in the area” LaSalle explained.

_Two hours later._

“Hi my name is Chris LaSalle.  I was wondering about how I might track down a misdirected letter that had the wrong zip code on it.”

“Go down that hall and turn left to the dead letter office” the clerk responded.

“Hi my name is Chris LaSalle.  I was hoping to find a letter that appears to have had the wrong zip code on it. 

“Well, we clean those out periodically.  If you want to follow me.  There you go” he says as he shows Chris bins with several thousand letters.  Business is over there and Letter Size over there.  We stack them by the color of the envelope.

“I have no idea what color the envelope was.  I’ll have to get some more information and get back to you.  Thanks for your time.

 

_Later that evening_

“Hey Sonja can you talk?” 

“Yes I can talk.”

“How are you Percy” he starts out.  They have talked a good fifteen minutes when he brings up the letter again.

“That was a while ago.  I would need to sit down and think about what the envelope might have looked like and just exactly which hotel that I stayed at.” ~~~~

Percy and LaSalle continued to visit with each other periodically until one day he got a note from Percy.  “Chris, I had the hotel send me an envelope.  This is the same type of envelope that I mailed to Karin Johnson.

LaSalle was out of his seat before he finished reading the note.  “Hey Tammy, I need to run a quick errand.”  He’s surprised he didn’t get a ticket while speeding back to the Post Office.  Armed with the tinted blue envelope it still took him a good thirty minutes to find the letter mailed to him. 

He sat in the truck staring at the letter for three or four minutes trying to decide if he wanted to open it right then or wait until he got back home and would not be distracted by what it could possibly say.  Chris hated to think it but he wasn’t believing that Percy was being upfront about not remembering what she wrote.

Home it was and he was glad that he waited.  He read it twice before he called her.

So Sonja do I need to read it out loud or has time jogged your memory.  He waited a while and in the silence began to read what Sonja had written him

“Dear Christopher

I don’t know where to begin.  The past few months have been full of briefings and training.  There is so much to learn.  I have unfortunately become accustom to having team members for back up when executing a mission.  I find that I am uneasy not fully knowing or trusting the persons assigned to watch my back.  My concern is further exacerbated by the fact that I deeply miss all of you back in New Orleans.  I had no idea how much that I came to depend on each of you and our caring for each other. 

I was uneasy at how I left you all but particularly you Christopher.  While both you and Tammy are still prominent in my heart, I have always felt a void in that we did not try to see if there could be more than a friendship between us. While there is much more that I could say, I think that I will just stop here.  Do you think that you could find the time to call me?” 

She listed her new private number and added that she looked forward to hearing from him.

He explains the void in his heart as well then asks “so is it too late Sonja? 

“Too late for what Chris?” 

“To explore something. “

Sonja gives him that class Percy “I don’t know”

“I would like to fly out there to see you if it’s okay.”  

“Let me check my calendar at work and I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Okay Sonja, I’ll look forward to your call.”


	4. Laid Bare

Here I am on this plane and can hardly sit still.  I didn’t need to be in a plane rising from the ground to have butterflies.  I have no idea what I am going to say to her when I see her again face to face.

Chris remembered that the first visit had gone well.  He was optimistic on how the second one would go.  He could sense that her latest endeavor did not go well so he was anxious to see her again and perhaps be able to comfort her.

This time Chris took a four day weekend.  He was surprised at how open she was.  He knew, however, that something was wrong. “I can’t discuss it with you” Percy said as she got up to get him another beer.  He was surprise when she just plopped herself down in his lap without say a word.  He realized the longer she sat there the tighter her grip around him grew.

“So Chris are you still mad at me?”

“Sonja I was never mad at you, just surprised.  I know we decided not to peruse a relationship but I thought we were close enough for you to confide in me.  I miss you Sonja.  It didn’t take me long either to realize that I had made a big mistake in not seeing that there could be something between us.  I really want revisit that.”

“Okay.  I don’t know what you have done these past months but I found that I needed someone to talk to.  A professional.  I carried a lot of pain and sorrow in my life that I just ignored.  I had to address those things in addition to my realizing that I should not have run away from New Orleans and from you.  She talked a lot as they sat and drank their wine.  He realized that while he was still on Central Standard Time, that Sonja was starting to wilt since it was well past midnight in D.C.”

Saturday morning they got up and went to work out at the Police gym.  It was like old times as they made their rounds on the weight machines.  He had forgotten how impressive she was with the weights.  They both grabbed showers when they got back to the condo and then took off for a nearby restaurant that served Iowa choice beef.  One of Sonja’s co-workers declared that the meat melted in your mouth and he was right.

Saturday night they went to the theatre.  Hamilton was on tour and he was delighted to see it since he missed it when it was in New Orleans.  Sunday morning he cooked them breakfast.  Sonja ate the mushrooms even though they were cooked in bacon grease.  They turned on the TV to watch a basketball game but somehow got involved in a hot make out session and missed most of it.  That night they found a couple of old movies and fell asleep on the sofa. 

He woke up early Monday morning with her in his arms and him with a nocturnal erection.  He eased himself out from underneath her and hit the shower hoping to rectify the situation.  He saw Sonja in the kitchen when he came out of the guest bedroom.  She had made waffles.  He was glad that she had cooked his first because her version of the batter did not smell quite as good.

In spite of her being on leave Sonja Percy could not ignore her telephone.  To her dismay, she immediately recognized the number on her caller ID.  I’m sorry LaSalle; I have to take this call.

She returned to the room shortly and informed him that she would have to go into the office in for an overseas call.  She put on a weak smile that broadens as Chris flashed his own special one.  “At least they can’t get to me” he said.

He gave her goodbye hug and watched as she retrieved her weapon and gathered her brief case.

As soon as she was out the door, he went to find his own phone.  He queried the internet for the directory for the Washington D.C. NCIS Office.  He quickly dialed the main number.  Can I speak to Agent ‘Jacqueline Sloane he inquired?

“Hello Agent Sloane.  My name is Chris LaSalle.  I am assigned to the NCIS Office in New Orleans.”

“Good morning Agent LaSalle” she responded.  “I recognized your name.  How can I help you?”

“I know this is short notice” LaSalle responded “but I was wondering if you had time to meet with me this morning.

“I have nothing on my calendar yet today.  Do you know how to get to our building?”

“Well, I would rather not meet there.  I really don’t want it known that I am seeing you.”

“Well, tell me where you are right now and I can suggest a location.”

At his response she suggests that they meet at the Seventh Hill Eatery at Union Station. They would both be able take the train there quickly.  The suggestion was aggregable to LaSalle.  He ran in for a quick shower and then departed the condo after leaving Percy a note.  45 minutes later he arrived at restaurant.

There she is thought to himself after spotting the woman with the brown coat and scarf. “Agent Sloane?  I’m Chris LaSalle” he said as he extended his hand.

Good morning.  I hope you got here okay ‘‘Jack’’ says to him. 

Yes, just fine.

After ordering his favorite Bar Harbor Blueberry Soda, Christopher began speaking.

“I don’t know how much you know about me so let me fill you in on my time at NCIS and in New Orleans at the NOPD.”

“Wait” ‘Jack’ interrupts. “Before you begin talking I need to know if this is work related or personal.”

“Well, I guess both but this has affected my work life and the reason I contacted you is that I think that I finally need to face some of these challenges with professional help.

“I’m going to need to write a few notes” she responds.

Twenty minutes later Chris realized that he was already emotionally drained.  “Well, I was hoping that you could give me a referral to one of the counselors at the base in New Orleans.”

I don’t see that as a problem, but actually, I would like to see you myself.  I could fly out to ‘Nola to interview you and then make a recommendation for a mental health plan after I get a better understanding at what you might need.  And Agent LaSalle, I would need to inform your supervisor that you are in EAP (Employee Assistance Program).  It’s not a bad thing and the Agency rules restrict me from disclosing anything that I learn from you to them – well, that is unless you killed someone she says with a snicker.

“All right. I will be waiting for you to contact me and let me know when you will be arriving.”

A two weeks later Pride gives Chris the ‘high sign’ and they both head toward the secure room.  LaSalle has no idea what is going on.  When the screen finally comes up he is little dismayed to see ‘Jack’ Sloane.  He wanted to be able to tell King himself before she showed up.

Agent Sloane did an excellent job in informing Agent Pride that she would be coming to ‘Nola the next week and why.  Chris felt more at ease than he expect.  King turned to him when the screen went dark.  “I’m glad you were able to get ‘here’ Chris.  You have had some challenging times.  I understand that Agent Sloane is quite good at what she does.  Just keep me informed of when she will arrive and when you need to be away from the office.  I will pair you up with me during that time then no one else will know.  Department guidelines prevent me from asking you what you speak with Agent Sloane about and from me asking her.”

True to her word Agent Sloane arrived on the next Monday.  She called late Wednesday after their meeting at Belle Chasse.  “I would like to see you myself.  I think that five four hour sessions will be a good start.  If we need any additional time, we can schedule it.”

Agent Sloane went over her notes one more time before her 9 a.m. appointment with the NCIS employee.   While she could not disclose to his supervisor what the employee would disclose to her, she could glean information from the supervising agent Dwayne Pride about Agent LaSalle. 

The information provided by Agent Pride provided a road map for what would happen the next few days.  Like most individuals, LaSalle’s life was full of potholes and landmines.  She quickly realized that this would not be easy for either of them to negotiate.  With all that was said, there was a piece of information missing. 

“Well thank you Agent Pride” ‘Jack’ said.  “You have been a great help.  I do have one more question.  Is Agent LaSalle currently involved with anyone?”

“Not that I am aware of” Pride responds.  “We’re together for most holidays and often times at the bar so I think that I would have noticed.”

That stymied her because LaSalle had specifically mentioned that there was a woman in the picture.

Agent Sloane jumped right into treatment from the moment that Chris entered the counseling room at Belle chaise on Monday.  The first day covered Chris’ childhood and his interactions with his parents and siblings.  It was notable that there was a lot of pain and a lot of guilt over his brother’s mental illness.  Chris thought that he and his father could/should have done more to help his brother.

Day two focused on Chris’ personal issues during his childhood and teen years in high school.

Day three was focused on LaSalle’ personal relationships with women. In the end she stopped him when he got to the current woman.  We’ll come back to her later she softly said.

Day four covered his years as a law enforcement officer and Katrina.  He also had survivor’s guilt at never been shot himself.  Two NOPD partners, Percy, King were injured while on assignment with him.  He also had to address the guilt he felt over Savannah’s murder.

Friday finally arrived and they focused on what brought him to her couch. “Yes, I am just beginning a serious relationship with a woman.  We had known each other four years.” 

“So tell me a little about her” ‘Jack asks”

“Well, she’s smart, kind, a great law enforcement officer.  City Mouse can sing like a bird and beat the pants of anybody at the card table or on the weapons qualifying range”.

Wait a minute.  Did he say something about a Mouse ‘Jack’ thought?  Her mind drifted for a moment.  Wait a minute.  Sonja Percy talked about a mouse too.  Oh my.  This is going to be interesting she realized.

“I’m sorry but did you say something about a mouse?” 

“Oh yeah LaSalle replies” with a grin.  It is a moniker that we gained when we had an adventure in the squad room one night.  I was known as Country Mouse while she was City Mouse.  I had an added one of “work husband” because of my worry the first time she fell off the radar.  A co-worker accused me of being her ‘work husband’. 

“Okay Agent LaSalle, we’ll come back to this.  Can you find your way back to where you were in our conversation where you said that you had made a mistake about her leaving?”

I made a mistake and did not object to her leaving and it caused a lot of pain to the both of us.  She reached out to me after she left but I never received the correspondence and only about three months ago found out that she was regretting leaving ‘Nola without seeing if we could have something.

“Okay.  Do you mind if I ask why you let her go?”

As he stumbles for an answer ‘Jack’ speaks up.  “You must have had a reason.”

“Yes” he says and once again tears escape Chris LaSalle’s eyes.  “I did it for the sake of the team and us as partners.  There was just no way that we could be that close and for me to allow her to do her job like it needed to be done.  I was wrong in that I never explained that to her.  Things got really strained between us.  I think if I had told her, it might have gone a whole lot smoother.


	5. From the Other Side of the World

Sonja and I had spoken with each almost every day that she was in country.  It was hard for me to stay focus knowing that she was away.  We had decided that we would take a trip outside of the Country.  Sonja was limited to where she could travel safely which meant the U.S. had to have an extradition treaty with that Country.    We chose to visit Berlin.  Berlin was still changing with reunification of the East and the West.

The flight to D.C. was uneventful.  We hugged tightly when I came from the counter after I retrieved my weapon.  I leaned in to kiss her but hesitated because I did not know how she would respond.  She pulled away quickly to my disappointment but more than made up for it when we got to the parking garage.

Sonja had ordered dinner from a restaurant down the street from her condo.  I enjoyed the Iowa steaks and was surprised by the intimate atmosphere that she had created in the condo.  I had no idea what was on her mind as we swayed to some music after she had started the dish washer. 

“Do you remember when you got me out of jail that time?  Do you remember when I tried to thank you after the bar burned down?” 

“Yes. Sonja, why would you bring up that sad moment right now?  I know that I was wrong to push you away.”

“Well, that still doesn’t excuse the fact that I never repaid you.”  With those words Sonja blew out the candles and took my hand.  It was the first time that I saw what was on the other side of the door of her bedroom.  I had longed for months to be here and cherished every moment.  We couldn’t have gotten more than four hours sleep.  When I did awaken I realized that she was no longer in the bed.  I walked to the kitchen and found her at the sink emptying all of the dishes out of the washer.”

“Good morning Country Mouse.  You looked so peaceful I didn’t have the heart to wake you up.  There’s really nothing in the fridge.  I didn’t think that it was wise to buy any food and let it be there unused for two weeks.  I thought that we might go get something to eat and then come back, empty the dryer and close our suitcases.  “Sounds like a plan LaSalle” responds as he picks her up bridal style “but I would suggest a diversionary stop before we hit the shower.”

The two ended up going to Mc Donald’s where LaSalle expended some calories for the week and Sonja ordered a salad.  They had ordered specialty meals on the air craft for breakfast so they knew they wouldn’t starve. 

The late afternoon flight from D.C. to Newark allowed them to spend more one on one time at the condo.  They had expedited clearance at the airport.  LaSalle was amused when Sonja had to avoid a specific gate agent who knew her as someone with a different name.

It was one of the few times that Sonja could actually plan her plane ride.  They stayed up most of Friday and Saturday night and slept most of the flight time to Europe.

Their non-stop fight got them to Berlin and eight hours later where they quickly found the ground transportation to their hotel.  Both LaSalle and Percy were a little unsettled not to be able to take their weapons with them.  Doing so would have required them to register them with the state police and they weren’t quite sure that they wanted to put a target on Sonja’s back.  They did go to the Embassy before they got some sack time to make sure that they were aware that they were there and to confirm what actions they needed to take if a problem arose.

Agent Sloane has given Sonja and Chris a list of helpful ideas that helped them both discover and repair their developing relationship.  While both told the other that they had sought professional help to overcome the extremely challenging moments in their individual life history, neither realized that they had seen the same therapist.  

Recognizing that Sonja was the woman that LaSalle sought to bond with and what Sonja wanted in a mate she was able to better answer Chris’ many questions and provided him with a different set of reading materials and counseling methods.  To both however, she suggested joint counseling sessions and explained in detail why that was necessary.  Trust was the key she told them both.  You will want to know the other’s hopes and dream and be willing to help them find them.

Berlin is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its nearly four million inhabitants make it the second most populous city proper of the European Union after London.

When they managed to venture out of their hotel room they found wonderful historical sites, landmarks and events to visit/attend.

Their saddest day, however, was the one when they went to the memorial site Sachsenhausen is a former concentration camp in Oranienburg, about 30 minutes north of Berlin. The camp was erected in 1936 and until 1945 more than 200,000 people were imprisoned here by the Nazis. Sachsenhausen was one of the most important concentration camps in the Third Reich.

Percy and LaSalle had two long weeks to talk.  Freed from a lifetime of burdens shed in their counseling sessions, the two were free to share intimate details of life from their earlier childhoods through both Savannah’s and Percy’s shootings to Prides’ near death.

Sonja could never have imagined the pain in LaSalle’s heart when he lost Tucker. He found an unknown compartment in his heart that the little boy penetrated.  It was only then that he realized how much that his life was missing a family.  For the first time Sonja held a weeping LaSalle.  While Christopher had entered a similar episode with Agent Sloane during his counseling this experience created a deeper bond with Sonja.  She knew him to be a kind man but at this point he felt safe enough with her to pour out his soul endearing him even more to her.

The time finally came to discuss Sonja’s reason to leave NCIS. “Of course I was excited about the job offer.  It wasn’t until I went away to think the second time that I thought maybe leaving was not the right thing.”  Sonja expressed her disappointment that Chris had never questioned her directly on why she stayed.  It seemed to her that he wanted his cake and eat it too.

Chris had long ago realized that he made a mistake in not considering what he could have had with Sonja. 

“Sonja”

“Yes Chris”

“Do you think that there would ever come a day that you couldn’t live without me?”

“Sonja looked up and gazed deep into his face.”

“What?”

“I want you to stay with me forever City Mouse.”

“What?”

“I want you to marry me Sonja!!!”

They made the decision to get married and let the consequences fall where they might.


	6. My Secret Love

They had purposely built in three travel days to their trip abroad which allowed them to make good on their final decision in Germany.  They came back to the condo and took the time to wash all their clothing and got up the next morning and drove across the river to Virginia and got married.  They were able to make an appointment with a local attorney and completed new wills.  Sonja asked a co-worker to witness their signatures swearing her to secrecy.  They were still trying to figure out how to disclose their marriage to their supervisors, friends and the agencies.  That would be another day they decided.

Chris was taking an early morning flight back to ‘Nola on Monday.  He had left his shaving kit in the bathroom.  Sonja saw it sitting there and looked around the room to see if anything belonging to him was left out.  As she went to zip the bag shut, she noticed that his leather cord necklace with his Saint Christopher’s medal was hanging out the side.  She removed the medallion and zipped the bag shut.  “Hey Country Mouse.  I’ll set your shaving bag on your suit case and here is your medallion.”  Chris had a funny look on his face before he spoke.  “This is from my past life Sonja with another woman.  I’ll put it away when I get back to New Orleans.”

Sonja looked back at him with all the love she could muster.  “No Christopher.  If you ever take this off again, it needs to be because you want to not because you feel you have to.  I know how much you loved Savannah and I know that this was her last gift to you.”  At those words he pulled her close and quietly wept.  Her words that day only confirmed that he had made the right choice in choosing this woman as his mate.  He took the cord from her and took his wedding ring off and placed it on the cord as well.  Since they had decided not to disclose their marriage to anyone else except the assistant director he would not be wearing his ring in public.

The newlyweds soon learned every military air training route between D.C. and New Orleans.  They were happy to discover that commercial flights also left those cities between 8 and 10 pm. to ‘Nola making it perfect for Chris to commute back to New Orleans just in case he had to get back to ‘Nola for a new case.  While there were some weekends that their plans were dashed by a sudden case in New Orleans, there were many weekends when they were able to spend most of Saturday and Sunday together when Sonja was in country.  While there was great joy in being able to make the plans, Chris was not always happy with the cold weather especially in Kokomo or Knob Noslee.

They finally decided to reveal their marriage at the team’s Christmas meal in ‘Nola.  Tammy knew something was up with LaSalle, but he had managed to keep one step ahead of her in maintaining the secret.  Just when she got close, Sonja drew an overseas mission or the team caught a case on a Thursday.  She would catch him on the phone or computer screen only to have him quickly disconnect from the conversation.  She could only conclude that there was a woman somewhere, but couldn’t quite put her finger on it.  In the end no one was more surprised or pleased when they walked through the door together that night.

Sonja only told her close team mates and supervisor.  Others learned of her marriage when they saw the rings on her hand and asked.  She was happy that the cat was finally out of the bag because now she could fly directly to Nola trusting that nothing would happen between 8 p.m. Friday and 6 a.m. Monday to take her husband away from her.

Chris was surprised to answer his desk phone one day to discover that Isler was on the other end.  “Hello Agent LaSalle you can tell me that this is none of my business when I finish saying what I have to say but I ran into your wife last week and she pretended to be happy about her marriage to you.  Well, I know she is happy but it was so obvious that she misses you.” 

I had a meeting with an associate at the Pentagon a couple of days after seeing her and he told me that he had a position at the Pentagon Force Protection Agency due to a retirement and wondered if I knew of anyone who could walk in to it and be ready with little training.    They protect and safeguard designated Department of Defense personnel, resources, and facilities.  Why don’t you take a look and see if it appeals to you.  Feel free to use my name as a reference.”

Chris had to admit that he was intrigued with the opportunity.  He had gained experience with NCIS working with the Coast Guard, FBI, DEA, ATF and other local law enforcement agencies.  It documented his proven track record of being a ‘team player’ and the ability to work within a sometimes ‘political’ environment of several agencies working with a specific area of operation like the military district of Washington.

He relocated to D. C. a month after he got the job offer.   He flew to England with Sonja on the first leg of a flight for her next assignment.  They spent a week touring Wales and Scotland vowing to come back to London at a later date.

Sweet he thought at the end of his first week at work.  The job was everything he could have wanted.  His boss was laid back and then was recalled to active duty six months after Chris started his job.

He anxiously awaited the return of his wife.  He checked his personal cell phone in the car at the end of the day several weeks later to see a message from his wife that she had put a nice bottle of Gosset Brut Excellence NV to chill while awaiting his return to the condo.  It was like he was on a race track as he made his way through horrible D. C. traffic to get to his sexy wife.  He didn’t even bother with the wine as he took his wife’s hand and headed for the bedroom. 

He still didn’t know how he got through the next two days that were left in his work week.  Sonja texted him to ask what cut of meat he wanted for dinner.  He was a little stunned when he walked in to a darkened front room.  Sonja appeared from out of nowhere after turning on some music.  Do you want to take a shower first or can I just put the food on the table she asked. 

“I’m starved.”  He responded.  “I had to go to the range and only ate half of the sandwich in my lunch.”

Sonja had also picked up his favorite pie at the bakery around the corner.  After they had eaten he went into the fridge and scraped off some of the whip cream into a small container then grabbed his wife’s hand as he led her to the bedroom.  He realized Saturday morning that while he missed his wife terribly bad when she was gone on missions that the reunion sex was mind blowing.


	7. Our Life Together

**Chapter 7 – Our Life Together**

The LaSalle’s had made a life plan and they had reached the five year mark in their marriage.  Their plan was to buy a home and to start the baby making process.  Sonja found a broker through one of her associates at work and they quickly found their dream home.

While they had hired a professional moving company, Sonja though it best that they both walk the condo and identify items that they would either want to pack their selves or pack and move their selves.  This included some of their wedding gifts, family keepsakes and photos.  Sonja sat down at Chris’ desk and picked up a faded book that she had never seen before.  “Marriage and the Family” by Blood.  As she picked it up, a business card fell out.  Jacqueline Sloan, NCIS.  What?  She thought.  What is Chris doing with her card?

She went back into the other side of the condo and found Chris working on his side of the closet.  “Country Mouse, how do you know Agent Sloane?” 

“She was the therapist assigned to me from NCIS.” 

“You’re kidding Sonja replies.  She was my therapist too.  I didn’t want word getting around that I was messed up so when I remembered that NCIS had professional counseling staff.”

The discussion that followed messed up their plans for the remainder of the afternoon.  Sonja and Chris talked, laughed and cried over some of the information that they shared with ‘Jack’ over their many hours of therapy with her.  They came to a place where they realized that they certainly would not have been married if it wasn’t for her professional skills and insight.

The next morning the LaSalle’s finished up packing their fragile and ‘necessary’ items and placed them in the SUV.  Arriving at their new home, they were able to start hanging pictures and placing informational signs on the walls to tell the movers where to put their many items. 

Just before five p.m. there was a knock at the door.  It was the furniture store.  They had ordered a new bedroom group for the master since they needed to furnish the bedroom in the ‘nanny’s suite’.  Sonja had been taught as a child that the first thing you do on moving day when you move into a new house is to make all the beds.  She had filled a clothing basket with the sheets, blankets and towels that they would need for the next few days.

Chris was shocked when he came into the bedroom and found the bed made, towels hung in the bathroom and his soaps, razors, and PJs in their proper place. 

There was another ring at the door and there was the delivery person from the restaurant.  Chris was more than ready to eat and was glad that his wife had sat a picnic basket full of needed items on the kitchen peninsula.

Chris refilled their wine glasses while Percy put the silver wear in the sink and the paper plates and empty food containers in the garbage bag.  “So Mrs. LaSalle, what do you say we make our way to our bedroom and see how the new bed works?”  While it wasn’t the most memorable night in their relationship it was one that the two would always remember.  They had forgotten to plug in their phones to the charger.  Sonja offered to get up and had a few challenges finding the right box.  Ten minutes later she came back into the bedroom and found her very tired and very excited husband sound asleep.  Smiling to herself she crawled in to her side of the bed and quickly fell asleep herself.  She was awaken by the alarm clock and as she opened her eyes realized that she was enveloped in the strong arms of her ever exhilarating husband.  She laughed to herself as she realized that her husband was avoiding looking directly at her that morning knowing that he had fallen asleep on her on one of the most special nights of their lives.

Chris drove to the condo to oversee the loading of the moving truck while Sonja put shelf paper in the remaining cabinets.  Everything fit just fine.  The movers were a little surprised when the sat one of the desk on the floor safe and Sonja told them that they needed to move it.  “You carry a gun little lady”.  Chris knew that was the wrong name to call her. 

“Look bubba I can lift your ass all the way across the room.  Don’t push it.”  He looked stunned.  I just shrugged my shoulders and walked into another room.

A few weeks later it was time for Sonja’s annual physical and she took the time talk with her doctor about having a child.  “Well Mrs. LaSalle, I am glad that you are planning this pregnancy and asking my opinion.  First of all we still don’t know all the reasons why African American women have difficulties after they deliver, so I will make sure to provide informational materials to my patients.  And second, planning ahead will allow both you and your husband with opportunity to improve your health routine if necessary.  I know that you are a Vegan.   You will need to add supplements or fortified foods daily to meet vitamin B12 and folic acid needs as well to make sure you're getting at least 150 mcg of iodine.  Many vegan women also choose to use a vegan supplement providing DHA during pregnancy.  I can give you a list of those today. You need to give yourself three months with the additional supplements before you actually try to conceive.  You can have your IUD removed at any time, but you would need to use alternative birth control for those three months.

Several months later Sonja was on an intense mission.  They were in an isolated area and she ate some goat – food that would not normally pass her lips.   Eight hours later she was sick as a dog.  Bad move Percy she thought.  She was happy that two days later they found the armament that they were trying to recover.  They drove straight to Switzerland and were able to get a flight out of Zurich to Dulles.  Still puking four days later, Sonja drug herself to the doctor.  “I got some bad food” she told the doctor.  Twenty minutes later the doctor came back in and said “Mrs. LaSalle” which got Sonja’s immediate attention because she usually called her Sonja Percy which was still her professional name.  “It wasn’t the food it is the baby that you’re carrying.”

Sonja was happy beyond belief.  She had to stop to get pre-natal vitamins and tried to think of a unique way to tell her husband.  Oh, yes.  She had a plan.  She stopped for a moment when she got home and took the first pill out and quickly swallowed it.  Then she put her weapon in the safe and put the pill bottle on top of it.

Chris walked through the door about thirty minutes later.  “Hey you’re home early” he said. 

“Yeah honey, I told you I was going to stop at the doctor’s office.”  Chris headed on into the library to secure his weapon as well.  “Sonja you must really be tired you left this pill bottle in the safe.”  “Oh that’s where I left my baby vitamins” she replied with one of the biggest grins she every displayed to him.

“Baby vitamins.  Baby vitamins?  Does that mean?” 

“Yes Country Mouse – I’m pregnant.”  Christopher ran and picked her up and twirled her around only to have her protest severely and run for the bathroom as soon as her feet hit the floor.

“I’m so sorry Sonja” Chris says as he runs behind her.  “I wasn’t thinking.” 

“Seven up Chris Seven Up” she says pointing out the door.

Chris sets the glass down on the table by her side of the bed and takes her hand motioning for her to stand up.  He pulls back the coverlet, sheet and blanket and helps her sit back down.  “Cracker, crackers” she ekes out.  Chris returns with three types of crackers.  She grabs the box of saltines out of his hand.  She looks at him with cracker crumbs on her chest and laps and meekly says “I hope this only last for a few weeks I’m not sure that I can take this much longer.”


	8. The King is Dead

Chris took a phone call that brought him to his knees.  Duane Pride was dead.  There was no man that Chris LaSalle loved more.  He loved and respected King more than his own father.

Homeland had somehow in sinuated themselves into the situation.  This information greeted each former team member as they arrived.

The LaSalle’s took a long time deciding if Sonja would make the trip.  Now into her seventh month, they thought of her enduring the New Orleans’ summer heat.  Christ was left with the decision of leaving his wife alone or watching her struggle with her ever limiting physical agility and her irritation at being pregnant and having no control over her ever growing belly and her cravings.

She decided that she would go since Chris had long decided not to argue with her in situations like this

The worse for sure was the bathroom situation on the airplane.  Chris had paid extra for first class tickets for a flight that flew directly into ‘Nola. 

While it was good to see old team members, it was so sad to be around Laurel and Miss Loretta.  It seemed like Loretta had known Pride for a life time.  He had been one her strongest supporters when she was hired as  Coroner of Jefferson Parish.

They decided to have the service at the Joy Theatre.  King had requested no flowers but for individuals to donate to the USO or their favored Veteran’s Service Organization.   He had also decided to have his coffin flagged draped.  The Louisiana Department of Veteran’s Affairs assigned a multi service detail to participate in the service and burial at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Cemetery.  The senior chaplain from Belle Chaise gave the eulogy.  The service was full of tributes and remembrances.

This was one the few times since they were married that Sonja had seen her husband cry.  She had personally seen how Pride’s presence and guidance had molded him into the man, father and supervisor that sat by her that day.  She often remembered the several times that Pride had saved her own life.

Christopher LaSalle’s tears continued that night between talking and laughing.

“What is it honey” Sonja asked as the tears began to flow again.

“You do know that we would have never gotten together if it hadn’t been for King don’t you?

“Yes Country Mouse, I know.  In spite of your reservations he gave me a chance even through two major screw ups,

The next day old team members had lunch at Pride’s bar.  His brother Jimmy had long take over the operation.  Pride sold him his stake of the bar two years b before his death.  We would later learn that Pride’s will repentantly returned the cash back to Jimmy.

King left Christopher his weapons and guns to add to the collection that he himself had garnered.  They arrived a few months after the funeral and the reading of the will.  Laurel let them all get on Pride’s computer to capture photos that they might want.  Sonja found several that she had never seen before and knew exactly where she wanted to hang them.  There was a special one of Chris and Pride that she enlarged and gave it to him to hang on his wall in his office.

The flight home was uneventful save Sonja having to make her way to the potty every thirty minutes.  It was after the flight that things got exciting.  Sonja got gas so bad while waiting for Chris to recover his weapon that they had to go to the hospital.

Chris was astounded as she told the doctor all the food that she had eaten while in ‘Nola. Suddenly dishes that would never have passed her lips ‘called her name’.  She was terribly distressed that she had gained four pounds in less than a week.


	9. 'Jack's' Long Day

It had been a very long week for ‘Jack’ Sloane.  The NCIS office in Miami had joined the FBI in a major operation.  The mission ended with the deaths of three FBI agents and two of her own.  These were days that she wondered why she was still working since she could have retired several years ago.

She flew to Miami to help with the death notifications and finally made it back to her office Thursday morning.  Her inbox was as full as she ever remembered.  There was a knock on her door about 10 o’clock.  Oh crap, they found me anyway she thought.  She had placed her phone on voice mail and started right in on the work in the basket.

“Sorry to bother you Agent Sloane but there is a delivery for you at the front desk.”   ‘‘Jack’’ quickly walked to elevator and made her way to the designated located.  Puzzled, she signed for the flowers and the smaller box accompanying them.

Back at her desk she took off the paper on the flowers and smelled them.  She then reached for a box cutter and opened the box.  She knew the two people in photo looked familiar but she couldn’t remember a name.  In the same frame was a photo of a darling baby in pink.

“Dear Agent Sloane

It took us five years to figure out that we both knew you.  You helped us both through a difficult time of our lives.  We wanted you to know that we were indeed able to connect and were married seven years ago.  We just had our first child.  We had already decided that we would name the baby, boy or girl, after you.  Our daughter, Jacqueline was born last month.  We trust that your schedule will allow you to attend her baptism as noted on the enclosed invitation.

After she finished crying, ‘Jack’ added the date to her calendar.  Not only was this happy news at time when she was so distressed, but she realized that it was rare that clients reached out to thank her for her work.

The service was beautiful.  Two weeks later ‘‘Jack’’ received a photograph of her and baby ‘Jacque’ to add to the empty space in the photograph frame.


	10. The Family

Jacque was joined by a baby brother, Christopher Jon, three years later.  That pregnancy was much easier on Sonja and she continued running through her seventh month.  She took an extended family leave with CJ.  She had long missed being with Jacque and enjoyed being able to be home with her babies for a year.

“Hey Papa” she said to Christopher after one long day at home.  “I think it’s time to modify our life plan.  I know that I have to go back to work in eight weeks and I will be honest in saying that I really would prefer to stay home.  I can retire at 42 and a half.  With mother LaSalle here, we don’t have to pay child care.  I was thinking that I could up my retirement contribution right now and without withholding and income taxes have the about the same amount of money each month and retire early. 

Sonja was delighted when an ‘educator’ position opened up at the FBI academy.  Her varied assignments within the FBI, ATF and NCIS gave her a leg up on the other applicants.  Since she was in the classroom, she worked normal business hours.  It allowed her to drop the children off at school and be home for sit down dinner with them as well as help with homework as they grew.

With two years left to work Sonja proposed that they take a weekend off and fly to Alabama.  “Sonja that’s kind of silly when momma is right here with us.” 

“Humor me LaSalle please.”  Remembering that a happy wife makes a happy life he agreed.  He also acknowledged that the trip would also allow him to spend some time with his brother Cade.

“Hey have I seen that before City Mouse” he asked eyeing what he thought was a new nightie?

“Well no and I’m surprised that you noticed.” 

“I always notice you Sonja” he responded sweetly.

Safe in her husband’s arms Sonja confesses why she wanted to come to Alabama.  “Christopher.”  Uh oh he thought my given name.  “I want to have another child.  I talked to the doctor and she said that she didn’t see a problem.  I’m in great physical shape and the first two children were delivered without incident.”

“Sonja, if that is what you wanted I don’t understand why we had to come all the way down here for this discussion.”  You needed a break Christopher.  You are both mother and father when I am away where ever.  I appreciate you so.  I know how you loved this place and I wanted you to be able to get away from the hustle and bustle of D. C.

It didn’t take long for Sonja to get pregnant.  William King LaSalle was born on a snowy February day without incident.  His sister soon became his surrogate mother.Sonja returned to work at the end of her approved leave and six months later put her retirement papers in.  Her bosses were not happy.

Sonja couldn’t believe how free she felt.  She loved getting up and going to ‘King’s’ room every morning, giving him his bath and taking an early afternoon nap.  Being at home allowed her to learn some of her spouse’s favorite dishes.  Mother LaSalle agreed to stay with them for one more year helping both the children and Sonja acclimate to the changing of the guard.  The next Christmas the whole family helped to load up Grandma’s belongings and then piled into their SUV for the drive to Alabama where they helped her unpack everything.

‘Papa LaSalle’ took the older children out to hunt deer and turkey.  CJ was ecstatic to have spotted a large turkey which found its way onto the table for Christmas dinner.  Chris’ sister had deer stakes in her freezer from the previous year.  They were not very popular with the northern city folks.  Sonja couldn’t even stand the smell of the meat cooking.

Even with a toddler in tow, Christopher and Sonja found the opportunity for long romantic walks and horseback riding.  The older nieces and nephews were more than ready to volunteer as a babysitter.   There came one unusually warm day when Chris borrowed a friend’s boat and took Sonja out for that long awaited boat ride that they had talked about while they were on a case when they worked together at NCIS. 

Chris never did tell Sonja about the pain in his heart of having to leave his beloved childhood home when they returned to D.C.  He longed to retire but he was committed to stick to the plan that they had laid out years ago.  The sale of LaSalle Industries had left him little cash money.  Now with another college education to pay for, it was even more important that he be able to maintain the family’s health insurance and save for the third college education fund.  They only had two more years to pay on the mortgage which would free up a considerable amount of money to invest into the retirement and college funds.

Chris laughed to himself that Sonja’s fierce dedication to being vegan deeply influenced his two older children’s diets.  Sonja and his mother grew most of their veggies supplemented by fruit trees, raspberry bushes and strawberries.  Mother LaSalle taught Sonja how to can.  There were some weeks in the summer when he consume more meat than all of the rest of his family combined.  The chickens provided both eggs and meat.  Sonja found a meat locker outside of the beltway who would slaughter her chickens and dress the meat out.  One of Chris’s childhood friends bagged three or four turkeys off the farm in Alabama and shipped them to D.C. each session.


	11. The Promotion

Life was good for the LaSalle’s.  Chris received an unexpected promotion when his Division Director for Law Enforcement was killed in an auto accident on the belt way.  The promotion came with a $20k a year pay raise.  LaSalle didn’t mind not walking a beat anymore.  While he retained his uniform in a closet, he enjoyed finally being able to dress like a business executive.  Having a stylish wife was a great addition.  Sonja often joined him on shopping adventure having something to say about every jacket or pair of trousers he tried on

“Look love, you have the body to show this stuff off, do it” Sonja told him!  We were still running miles every day.  The kids joined us as they reach the age to do so.

The moment Christopher LaSalle’s butt hit the seat of his new desk he knew that this was his job!

He quickly changed the format of when he met with subordinate supervisors.  They met first thing Monday to review the security updates accounting for suspicious activity.  Then they accounted for all personnel to determine who was unavailable because of medical, personal issues, vacations and retirements.  This assessment allowed LaSalle to realign person for that week.

In-between briefings by each Bureau Chief, LaSalle reviewed the yearly personnel evaluations of every employee.  He was open to what was presented itself, but quickly became concerned that females and ethnic personnel scored lower.  Personnel reviews were used for promotions and incentive pay.

Since Christopher was not known by many employees outside of his former bureau, he once again dawned a uniform and filled in at various locations around the Department.  Then he was ready for the next round of evaluations. 

A couple of his bureau chiefs were ‘put out’ by the new director’s intense interest in lower level personnel.  These are tomorrow’s leaders” he reminded them.  And I’m not quite sure if I understand why only one bureau chief is female when there are thousands of former active duty personnel trained as military police and military intelligence officers.

It took four years but LaSalle was extremely pleased to hire a second female bureau chief.  A year later he hired an Asian Veteran to fill another leadership role.

LaSalle’s actions did not set well with some of the old timers.  This is 2019 people.  I want this division to reflect the people that we walk by every day.  His popularity among the rank and file grew each month.  He took a suggestion to implement a cost saver and a mission improvement box.  There were many very good ideas submitted from the line personnel.  However several troubling comments were made and soon staff from the IG’s office were constant on site somewhere.  It took a few years for the smoke to clear.  In the end four people were let go and one was charged in Federal court.


	12. Riding into the Sunset

Time passed quickly and soon it was time for Jacqueline to graduate.  We waited and waited for her to make a decision and then were thunderstruck when she chose Vassar College.  She and her mother talked it over for months and in the end decided that she wanted to be in place where the focus was on women.  Matched with Columbia, her four years prepared her for the competitive admission frenzy for a Rhodes scholarship.  Sonja and I flew to England with Jacque taking a week with her and then a week of on our own to go to Scotland and Ireland.  

CJ was excited about finishing his freshman year in high school and vacillated back and forth about dropping one of three sports that he was involved with.  He decided that he want to try to be in the pros. 

We found a small college in Oskaloosa, Iowa where baseball players thrived.  The coach emeritus was a William Penn University graduate himself.  CJ went to a baseball camp that summer and we all came back very impressed with the educational format, campus and the coaching staff.  While he still ran long distance events in track to keep in shape, he spent a lot of time throwing pitches six days a week.  He did the signing in D.C. and agreed to give Penn a two year try before considering moving to pros if he was good enough.  It was a long road for him but I let out a big sigh of relief when he made it to the AAA league.  I flew down every time he called up to the Braves to help during the times when pitchers were injured.  However, we were always disappointed that he never stayed.  He was able to land a dream job at the University of Louisville on the coaching staff and loved flying all over the world scouting out pitchers.

‘Will?’  Well he was another story.  Will was a lot like his grandfather.  Popular with the ladies and always had a risky endeavor to sell you.  In the end he also surprised us and got himself admitted to Notre Dame.  He graduated with a 3.95 and had his pick of investment firms when he finished.  He was the one with the big house and the fabulous cars. Who would have thought?

“Will’ was in his final year at Notre Dame when the LaSalle’s decided on their next phase of their lives. Chris had looked forward to returning to his roots.  He would often look at photographs of him and his brother Cade dirty from working in the fields or showing off their latest catch from the river or the deer herd on the north twenty.

Their DC house brought in a tidy sum at sale allowing them to build their dream home on the home place.  One of Cade’s classmates helped them modify a house plan they found to accommodate Mother LaSalle as well. They put a wraparound porch on the house allowing her to sit and overlook her beloved land.  The home also provided her a ‘mother in law' suite with a separate entrance and driveway.

Sonja was dismayed to leave her fruit trees but did manage to transplant runners of her berries.  In the end she made Chris dig up some of the grapes that she had started the first year they were in the house.

The new home began to fill with grandchildren and great nieces and nephews.  Papa LaSalle soon had a new group of students to learn gun safety.  The LaSalle’s continue to hunt pheasant and turkeys off the land and deer off the north twenty of Ms. Rose’s property.

One evening as Sonja and Chris sat on the porch LaSalle asked Sonja why she was so quiet.

“I was just thinking” she said “In all my traveling I never did make it to the top of Pike’s Peak.  I heard her song “O'Beautiful” at the Fourth of July concert last week and was reminded of my wish”

“So let’s do Sonja” Make the reservations tomorrow” Christopher said in his most joyous voice. They say that the ride up the mountain is just breathtaking.  So we did the whole tourist thing and went to the Garden of the Gods as well.  It was nearly cloudless as we rose up the mountain.  We saw a smattering of wildlife and were paralyzed at how our bodies reacted to the higher altitude.  There was no way that I was going to this part of the country without going to the Fuzziwig's Candy Factory in Breckenridge.  Sonja still weighed 97 pounds and refused my attempts to goad her at eating a couple of bites on the wonderful fudge and pecan candies.

We were tired from our adventurous week and sat nearly right on top of each other as we took the train to the Denver International Airport.

“I love you Country Mouse” my sweet Sonja said to me.  “I know” I replied “but not as much as I love you” as I returned her smile.

The train arrived at our airline and we exited hand in hand anxious to be on our flight home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not cry with this one. Someday we will all be happy when I get a new copy of Word that retains the edits.


End file.
